Vise.



\ PATBNTED JAN.,13, 1903. E. E. HANNA.

VISE.

APPLIUATION FILED Arms, 1902.

2 SEEETS-SHEE I0 MODEL.

NTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE'.

ELMER E. HANNA, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

- VISE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. I718,120, dated January 13, 1903.

Application filed April 9, 1902. Serial No. 102,018. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER E. HANNA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vises, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of vises which is termed quickacting-that is, provided with mechanism bywhich the jaw portions may be quickly opened and closed and slowly operated when necessary to grip the desired article-all of which will more fully hereinafter appear.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a simple, economical, and efticient quick-acting vise.

A further object of the invention is to provide a vise with simple, economical, and efflcient mechanism by which it may be quickly opened and closed to bring it to desired points and slowly operated thereafter to effectually grip the Work.

Further objects of the invention will appear from an examination of the drawings and the following description and claims.

The invention consists principally ina vise in which there are combined ai fixed jaw, a movable jaw, an operating-shaft interlocking with the fixed jaw and having a threaded portion,`nut mechanism rotatably' mounted on the threaded portion of the operating-shaft and engaging with the movable jaw to operi ate the same, and means for causing the nut to engage or be disengaged from the operatingshaft and cause or permit a partial rotation thereof and engage or disengage it from its interlocking engagement with the fixed jaw.

The invention consists, further, in a vise in which there are combined a ixed jaw, a movable jaw slidingly mounted therein, an operating-shaft provided With projections interlocking with the xed jaw and having a threaded portion at or near its outer end, a rotatable nut engaging with the threaded extension of the operating-shaft and with the movable jaw to operate the latter, means on the operating-shaft adapted to be engaged by the nut mechanism when it is rotated in one direction, and spring mechanism for moving the operating-shaft in the other direction, both of which movements cause such shaft to be respectively engaged with or disengaged from the xed jaw.

The invention consists, further and finally, in the features, combinations, and details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is aside elevation, partly in section, of a vise constructed in accordance with these improvements; Fig. 2, a plan view, partly in section, taken on line 2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction ot' the arrow; Fig. 3, a crosssectional view taken on line 3 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 4, a cross-sectional detail taken on lines l of Figs. l and 2 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing the operating-shaft in one position, that in which the parts are arranged wh en in condition for gripping the work; Fig. 5, a cross-sectional detail taken on the same line as Fig. 3, showing the operating-shaft disengaged from its holding-pawl; and Fig. 6, a view `similar to that shown in Fig. 4 with the operating-shaft rotated to such a position as to permit the sliding jaw to be moved quickly backwardly and forwardly.

In the art to which this invention relates it is well known that it is desirable to provide a vise of such construction and arrangement that the movable jaw may be operated quickly to conveniently flt the Work and to slowly operate thereafter, so that the work may be eflciently gripped.

The principalobject of thisinventiomtherefore, is to providea vise of such construction and arrangement that the above-mentioned advantages may be simply and economically obtained, allof which will be more fully hereinafterset forth.

In constructing a vise in accordance with these improvements I provide a xed or relatively immovable jaw a, having'lug portions b, by which it may be conveniently secured to a bench c by means of lag-screws or bolts d. To grip the work, a movable jaw eis provided having an inwardly-extending slide portion f, engaging with the fixed jaw, so that it may be slid backward and forward therein. The slide of this movable jaw is rectangular in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 3, to slidingly engage a corresponding perforation or opening through the fixed jaw, and such fixed jaw has its base portion extending forward, as at g, under the sliding jawto give additional bearing and support to the slide portion outside of the point of gripping, thus act- IOO . and forward as quickly as desired.

ing to assist in obtaining a firm grip on the work and more effectually resist the stress and strains incident to the use of the vise.

To hold the movable jaw up to its work and move it backward and forward, an operatingshaft h is provided and passed through the fixed jaw in parallelism with the slide of the movable jaw in such manner that it may move backward and forward and have a partial rotation in either direction therein, all of which will be more fully hereinafter set forth. The outer end portion of this operating-shaft is provided with screw-threads t, and rotatably engaging therewith is an operating nut j, which may be rotated in either direction. The inner end of this operating-n ut rotatably engages with the movable jaw by means of its annular iianged end 7c, which is held against a wearing-ring Z by means of a removable ring m. So far as the nut is concerned the shaft is non-rotatable, the nut being the rotatable elementjust the opposite of the usual vise construction. It will be seen, therefore, that as the nut is rotated in either direction by means of its hand-lever n the movable jaw is moved backward or forward, as desired.

As above suggested, the operating-shaft has a relatively fixed engagement with the fixed jaW-that is, mechanism islocated in the fixed jaw by which this shaft is normally held from longitudinal or rotary movement during the ordinary rotation of the nut. It is desirable, however, that some means be provided by which a disengagement and rengagement of the operating-shaft and fixed jaw lnay be accomplished at any desired time, so as to permit the sliding jaw and operating shaft to be movedbackwardand forward. To accomplish this, the operating-shaft has one side, at its inner end, provided with a plurality of ratchetteeth p, adapted to be engaged by a toothed pawl q, movably mounted in a pocket r in the lfixed jamas shown particularly in Figs. 2, 3, and 5. This' toothed pawl is kept normally at its inner limit of motion, or, in other words, its engaging position with the fixed jaw, by means of the metal spring s; but it will also be seen that when the shaft is partially rotated in one direction by means of an extraneous force greater than the tension exerted by the spring s the teeth of the pawl will be caused to ride out of engagement with the ratchet-teeth of the operating-shaft and onto the smooth cylindrical surface thereof as follows: The shaft is rotated in the direction indicated by the curved arrow in Fig. l when the teeth of the pawl ride out on the smooth upper surface of the operating-shaft, and the parts are then in such position that the shaft, with the sliding jaw may be moved backward,

The rotation of the shaft in the other direction permits the rengagement of the toothed pawl with the ratchet on the shaft to hold it against longitudinal movement in one direction-that is, the outer direction-but permits it to be moved inwardly whenever desired.

work.

To cause a partial rotation of this operatingshaft in an automatic manner or as simply as possible, the outer end of such shaft is provided with a collar t, having a cam-shaped projection Lt thereon, the cambered surface of which is arranged in a helix corresponding to the pitch of the threads 1l. The rotatable nut is also provided with a projection 0, so arranged that when the nut is moved in one direction-viz., to the left against the rotation of the hands of a watch and outwardlyit engages with the collar on the operatingshaft and causes its simultaneous rotation in one direction. It is desirable to limit the rotation of the operating-shaft and to provide means for its automatic return to its pawlengaging position. To accomplish this result, a detent-collar w is provided having a spline-and-feather engagement with the operating-shaft-that is, so arranged that it must have a simultaneous rotary movement with the shaft, but permitting the parts to have slight independent longitudinal movements whenever desirable or necessary. A helical spring y is provided and wound around the operating-shaft in a pocket x in the movable jaw, one of its ends engaging with the detent-collar and its other end with the movable jaw. This detent-collar is provided with a projecting lug z, arranged to operate in a quadrant-shaped recess l() in the movable jaw and adjacent thereto, thus permitting the operating-shaft to have a rotation of ninety degrees into and out of engagement with its spring-pressed toothed pawl.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the operations of the mechanisms are as follows: When it is desired to grip the work--say a larger piece of work than will go between the jaws in the position shown in Fig. l-the operating-n ut is rotated by means of its hand-lever to the left against the movements of the hands of a watch, so that its projecting lug contacts the projecting collar of the operating-shaft and rotates such shaft in a similar direction, thereby causing its ratchet-teeth to be disengaged from the springpressed pawl. The movable jaw, with the operating-shaft, may now be moved quickly and outwardly to grasp the larger piece of The hand-lever and operating-nut are then moved in the opposite direction, corresponding to the movements of the hands of a watch, which permits the tension of the spring y to return the operating-shaft to its desired rengagement with the spring-pressed pawl and hold it from further rotation with the assistance of the detent-collar w. A continued movement of the nut to the right causes it, with the movable jaw, to be moved forwardly to effectually grip the work, the operatingshaft meanwhile remaining stationary.

The principal advantages incident to the use of a vise constructed in accordance with these improvements are, rst, the ease by which the engagement or disengagement of the parts may be effected; second, the amount IOO IIO

of purchase that can be used to obtain the necessary grip that any desired number of rotations of the nut can be secured, so that the vise may be used as an ordinary screwvise or as a quick opening and closing vise, and, third, the economy with which it may be constructed or repaired.

I claiml. In a vise of the class described, the combination of a fixed jaw, a movable jaw, an operating-shaft interlocking with the fixed jaw and having a threaded portion, nut mechanism rotatably mounted on the threaded' portion of the operating-shaft and engaging with the movable jaw to operate the same, detent mechanism upon the operating-shaft for engaging the nut when it is rotated in one direction, and spring mechanism in engagement with the operating-shaft for automatically partially rotating such shaft in the opposite direction, substantially as described.

2. In a vise of the class described, the combination of a fixed or relatively immovable jaw,a movablejaw slidingly mounted therein, an operating-shaft provided with projections interlocking with the fixed jaw and having a threaded portion, a rotatable nut engaging with the threaded portion of the operatingshaft and with the movable jaw to operate the same, means on the operating-shaft adapted to be engaged by the nut mechanism when it is rotated in one direction, and spring mechanism for rotating the operating-shaft in the other direction, both of which movements cause such shaft to be respectively engaged with and disengaged from the fixed jaw, substantially as described.

3. In a vise of the class described, the combination of a xed jaw, a movable jaw slidingly mounted therein, an operating-shaft provided with toothed projections, a springpressed interlocking pawl in the fixed jaw arranged to engage the projections on the operating-shaft, a threaded portion on the outer end of the operating-shaft, nut mechanism rotatably mounted thereon and engaging with the movable jaw, a collar on the operatingshaft adapted to be contacted by the nut as it rotates in one direction so as to partially rotate the operating-shaft and disengage it from its holding-pawl, and means for rotating the shaft in the opposite direction to its normal and pawl-engaging position, substantially as described.

4. In a vise of the class described,'the combination of a fixed jaw, a movable jaw slidingly mounted therein, an operating-shaft, a spring-pressed pawl engaging such operatingshaft to hold it against longitudinal-movement in one direction and against rotation until extraneous force sufficient to overcome the tension of its spring is used, a threaded portion on the outer end of the operatingshaft, a rotatable nut in engagement therewith for operating the movable jaw backward and forward, a collar on the operating-shaft adapted to be engaged by the rotatable nut as it moves in one direction and partially rotate the operating-shaft to release it from its interlocking engagement with the pawl so that it with the slidable jaw may be moved quickly backward and forward, and a spring engaging with said shaft and with the movable jaw for rotating the screw in the opposite direction to cause its rengagement with the holding-pawl, substantially as described.

5. In a vise of the class described, the combination of a fixed jaw, a movable jaw slidingly mounted therein, au operating-shaft provided with ratchet-teeth, a spring-'pressed toothed pawl movably mounted in the fixed jaw engaging the ratchet-teeth of the operating-shaft to hold it against longitudinal movement in one direction and rotary movement until the tension of its spring has been overcome by extraneous force, a threaded extension on the outer end of such shaft, a rotatable nut mounted on the threaded portion of the shaft and engaging with the movable jaw to operate it backward and forward, a projection on the operating-shaft arranged to be engaged by the nut as it is rotated in one direction to cause a partial rotation of the shaft and consequent disengagement thereof with the spring-pressed pawl, a loose collar on such shaft havinga sliding engagement therewith and provided with a detent to limit the rotation of the operating-shaft, and a spring in engagement with such loose collar and the movable shaft to rotate such shaft in the 0pposite direction and cause its rengagement with the spring-pressed pawl, substantially as described.

6.. In a vise of the class described, the combination of a fixed jaw, a movable jaw slidingly mounted therein, an operating-shaft provided with an outer threaded portion and ratchet-teeth near its opposite end where it is slidably engaged with the fixed jaw, a pawl provided with ratchet-teeth movably mounted in the fixed jaw, spring mechanism for holding such pawl normally in engagement with the teeth on the operating-shaft, a nut' on the threaded portion of the shaft rotatably engaging the movable jaw to operate it backward and forward, a collar on the operatingshaft provided with a projecting lug, a lug or similar portion on the rotatable nut adapted to engage the collar on the operating-shaft to give such operating-shaft a partial rotation in one direction, a second collar having a sliding engagement with the operating-shaft and provided with a detent-lug by which its rotary motion and that of the operating-shaft are limited, and a helical coil-spring having one end engaging suoli loose collar and the other end a fixed portion of the jaw to rotate the operating-shaft in the opposite direction and cause its rengagement with the springpressed pawl, substantially as described.

ELMER E. HANNA. Witnesses:

THOMAS F. SHERIDAN, ANNIE C. COURTENAY.

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